


Can You Come And Get Me?

by Jess4400



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Forced Fusions, Opalite is from realfakedoor's fic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad, Shattering - Freeform, Steven has issues, discontinued sorry, happy ending though I guess, mentions of torture, opalite - Freeform, used with their permission, why is formatting so difficult
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jess4400/pseuds/Jess4400
Summary: It’s over. He’s back on Earth and it’s over. He’s sacrificed himself to the Diamonds, stood trial, been interrogated, tortured, and somehow managed to escape Homeworld- all within the span of a week.But how is he going to get back home?





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "Can you come and get me?" on Tumblr  
> All aboard the angst train everyone!
> 
> Edit: Omg I can't believe I forgot about Lars...  
> Pretend the Diamonds let him go for some reason and he got home before Steven lol

 

It’s over. He’s back on Earth and it’s over. He’s sacrificed himself to the diamonds, stood trial, been interrogated, tortured, and somehow managed to escape Homeworld all within the span of a week. 

He crash landed miles away an hour ago by an escape pod but managed to float his way to the nearest city using the highways as his guide. He now sits in an abandoned warehouse in a bustling city. He watches the cars speed by through distant eyes. He hears the steady hum of their engines, but they sound too much like the static of the machines on Homeworld to be soothing. He looks around to make sure no one can see him before he allows himself to let his guard down.

He finally has a moment to think. He feels like he’s been thrown head-first into cold water, gasping for air because _it’s just too much; It’s too cold; I can’t breathe!_

He sits and thinks for a moment. He has no idea where he is. Nothing looks familiar. His phone is dead and it’s freezing cold. He’s panicking but feels numb at the same time. Funny, huh? He wonders where his family is.

Suddenly, the homesickness comes crashing down on him and he sobs, resting his head in his hands. _I just wanna go home. It’s not fair! I’m scared! Where am I? Someone help me, please!_

The night continues on. No one is here to save him. He curls in on himself and falls asleep, thinking of a plan to get back home.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun rises just enough for the sky to turn a pink-orange color. Steven decides to get moving before the traffic gets bad. He absently wishes he had his cheeseburger backpack with him, just for the sake of weight and familiarity. He wanders past building after building, searching for a hotel. Maybe if he can find a hotel, he can explain that he's lost and ask to use their phone. It’s the only plan he has right now.

He finally comes across a shabby-looking Holiday Inn nestled between several fast-food restaurants. He opens the door, grateful for the wave of heat that envelopes him as he walks in. The receptionist looks up from her work, puzzled. He doesn’t blame her. Who wouldn’t be confused by a seemingly 8-year-old child bursting through the doors of a hotel, alone, and without a jacket in the middle of fall?

He timidly approaches the counter and puts on his most pitiful, child-like face. Not looking his age certainly has its advantages. If he looked like a 14-year-old boy, he probably would’ve gotten kicked out by now for loitering. The receptionist frowns at him sympathetically and waits for him to speak.

“Excuse me ma’am, I’m lost,” He says. “May I use your phone to call my parents?” Technically alien caregivers, but he can’t really say that without raising even more concern and/or getting the National Guard involved.

“Of course, honey,” she responds. “Come right around this desk and I’ll dial in the number for you. Do you remember your parents’ phone number?”

Steven frowns and looks at his shoes. Now that he thinks about it, the Gems don't even have cell phones. He sighs and racks his brain for Connie’s number. He tells it to the receptionist and she dials it in. She hands the phone to him, already ringing, and he puts it up to his ear.

“Hello?” Connie answers. “Who is this? This better be good! It’s six in the morning!”

“Hey Connie,” he chokes and laughs, “Sorry for calling so early. It’s Steven.” Her tone changes instantly.

“Steven?! Is it really you? Oh my goodness, where are you? Are you hurt? Tell me where you are right now and I’ll tell the gems and we can come and get you and-” 

Steven cuts her off with a chuckle and a sniff, tears now freely flowing down his face as he realizes that he’s not alone anymore.

“I’m okay,” he says. “I’m really okay.”

He pauses to calm down and he can practically feel Connie’s concern though the line. The receptionist rubs his back as he tries to get a hold of himself.

“Steven?” She tries again.

“I, um, I actually don't know where I am. Hold on.” He brings the phone away from his ear and asks the receptionist what city he’s in. She looks even more baffled but responds anyway.

“I’m in a hotel in Philadelphia right now. Can you come and get me?”

“Sure, I’ll go tell the gems right now and we’ll all warp there to come pick you up as soon as possible!” Steven hears the commotion in the background as she rushes to get ready.

“Actually, Connie, wait.” He starts. Stops. Starts again. “Do you think you can just have you and your mom come pick me up? It’s just…I really don’t want to face the Gems just yet. I’m so tired and I really don’t think I can handle being questioned right now. I just wanna be with you.”

Connie stops moving around and grips the phone tight. “Of course. I’ll ask my mom. I’m sure she’ll understand. I’ll call this number back after I ask and then my mom can talk to one of the people in the lobby to figure out where you are, okay?”

Steven smiles. “Okay. Thank you Connie. I love you.”

He hangs up. An hour and a half later, the Maheshwarans arrive.


	2. The Ride Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the way: Opalite is written directly based on fakerealdoor's fic 'Convictions and Captivity,' with their permission. Go check out their fic! It's similar to this one but goes into way more detail about Steven's 'what if' stay on Homeworld. Here's the new, edited version of this chapter to include Opalite. Thanks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who was having a bad brain day and needed to vent? This girl!
> 
> Note: This fic is way off canon now. Whoops. Also, there's a point of view change. I wasn't feeling 3rd person for this one. I might go back and change the first chapter to 2nd to match. I don't know. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The ride home is silent. You want to say something, _anything_ , that will stop this suffocating atmosphere, but you _can’t._ The words get stuck in your throat, a million apologies that you don’t mean and explanations that you can’t give because _it still hurts._ You can still hear their voices booming, yelling, blaming you endlessly for Pink’s death. You can still feel the pain as they chip away at your gem, over and over, until pieces of quartz are scattered around you like confetti and you can barely see straight. You’re still reeling from the electricity shooting through your veins as Yellow shocks you. You’re back in your cell, crying again, and you don’t know if these are really your tears or if Blue is somehow feeling remorse for what she’s done.

You rest your head against the window, watching the cars as they speed past. You know you’re hyperventilating, and you’re probably having a panic attack, but you can’t bring yourself to care about being strong at the moment. You cry. You cry and you cry and you cry, horrible memories flashing though your head like camera bulbs flashing. _Click, click click!_ All of the horrible things they did, photographed and ready to show how pitiful you are. You saved your friends, but you barely managed to save yourself.

You feel arms snake around you and you cry even harder. You’re trapped. They have you again. How could you be so stupid as to think you could get away _that easily?_ Holly Blue never let you out of your fusion, no matter how much you begged. Opalite had no mercy, and you hated every second of being them. They made you do it. They made you pull out your morning star, they made you reel back, they made you strike. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault. It was your fault!

“It’s okay,” a voice that sounds like Connie’s soothes. It can’t be her though. You're trapped and you're never going to see your family again. The last memory you’ll ever have will be you staring down at the remains of your victims, a sneer on your face, and—

You faintly smell strawberries and you know you’re safe. You latch onto her, like the _directionless, clinging thing_ that you are and bury your head into her shoulder. She holds you tight and rocks you back and forth, saying nonsensical things to you as you weep. You think Mrs. Maheshwaran stopped the car because you don’t feel the rumbling beneath your feet anymore. Your assumption is correct. The low timbre of Mrs. Maheshwaran’s voice cuts through the haze in your mind as you struggle to understand what she’s saying. A door closes. Another door opens. Shuffling. You try to focus on the cold air from the vents blowing on your skin.

“Steven. What do you need?”

You pry your eyes away from Connie’s shoulder and Mrs. Maheshwaran is now sitting beside you. You stare blankly at her hands, which are resting on her thigh. You sniff and wipe your eyes. You need to get it together.

“I don’t know,” you wheeze.

Mrs. Maheshwaran looks at you, concerned, and whispers to Connie. Connie nods and turns to you, determined.

“Breathe,” She commands. “In: One, two three. Out: One, two, three. With me. Ready?”

You manage a shaky nod and Connie pulls you close again. The two of you count until your heart is no longer beating out of your chest and you can breathe somewhat normally. Connie still holds you, letting you rest in her arms as you come down from your panic. Mrs. Maheshwaran returns to the driver’s seat and takes off, leaving you to fall asleep in her daughter’s arms.

 


	3. Breakfast and Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Mahaswaren has a talk with Steven.

You wake and reassure yourself that you’re not on Homeworld (Homeworld doesn’t have beds for prisoners like you), but you know you’re not at home either (This is not _your_ bed). You sit up, stretch, and observe your surroundings. Mint colored furniture and books. Connie’s room. You’re on Connie’s bed. Where’s Connie? You peek over the side of the bed and see her sleeping on the floor on a poorly prepared pallet. This won’t do, you decide. You scoop her up gently and place her on the bed where you were sleeping. You can’t lay back down next to her. Mrs. Maheshwaran would kill you. You hear pots and pans clanking together in the other room, so you decide not to risk it. You decide to get up and greet Mrs. Maheshwaran (or whoever is) in the kitchen. You're not sure what time it is. Your phone is dead. You walk into the kitchen, quietly, and sit down at the table. Mrs. Maheshwaran is at the stove, cooking what seems to be pancakes.

“Good morning, Steven,” she says evenly as she pours batter into the skillet.

You watch her, mesmerized for some reason. Why is she making pancakes? Don’t those have trans-fats? There’s no way she’ll let Connie eat those. Well, maybe she will. Connie gets to do lots of dangerous stuff now, like hanging out with you.

“Good morning,” you finally say. “Connie is still sleeping. What time is it?”

Mrs. Maheshwaran glances at her watch and grimaces.

“It’s 10 a.m.” Good, you think. They haven’t had to deal with you for too long.

“I’m glad you’re finally awake,” she continues. Flips the pancake. “We’ve been worried sick. You slept all day yesterday. Today is Thursday.”

“Oh.”

You’re not too surprised. You did get hurt pretty bad, and since you can’t exactly go into your gem to regenerate, you suppose sleeping is the next best thing. That’s what human bodies do right? Repair tissue and bones during sleep? You think you remember Connie lecturing you about that once.

“Sorry.”

Mrs. Maheshwaran sighs and scoops the pancake onto a plate. She places the plate in front of you, and you stare at it, like you’re not sure if it’s real or not. She takes a seat across from you and hands you some silverware and a bottle of syrup.

“Eat,” she commands. “If you’re still hungry, I can make you more.”

You’re pretty intimidated by her, especially with Connie not around, so you follow her instructions. You know you’re starving, but your stomach is in knots. You pray that you won’t throw up after all this hospitality they've shown you.

“Thank you,” you say, cutting the pancake with a knife. A butterknife. It’s safe. You’re okay, stop worrying, they’re not here anymore—

“I need to let the Gems know you’re here,” she deadpans. She tries to make eye contact with you, but you can’t tear your eyes away from the knife. She decides to keep talking.

“Would you like to call them, or would you like me to?”

“You call. Please.”

She nods and leaves the room. You hear her dial the phone. A muffled conversation follows. You hear Pearl’s voice on the other line, thanking the stars that you’re okay, and yes, of course, they’re coming to pick you up right now!

You don’t know if you can do this. _They’re going to hate you._ No, they’ll still love you. They might be mad, but they would never hate you. _Yes, they would._ You squeeze your eyes shut and will yourself to calm down. You must be outwardly falling apart again, because Mrs. Maheshwaran takes your hands into her own and squeezes gently to let you know she’s here. Message received. ~~Look, another person to let down!~~

“It’s gonna be okay, Steven. You’re going to go home, and the Gems are going to take care of you. They might ask questions, but you don’t have to answer all of them right away. I’ve advised them to take you to the hospital soon. You can come to the pediatric unit with me. I’ll take care of you so no other humans have to get involved. Does that sound reasonable?”

You nod, because, okay, that does sound pretty reasonable. You wonder how Connie’s going to react when she finds out you’re leaving again without saying goodbye. She’ll probably hate you too. You don’t blame her. You almost wish the Diamonds would’ve just killed you so that you didn’t have to deal with your mistakes. Hah, like mother like son, right? 

You feel Mrs. Maheshwaran staring. You take another bite of your pancake. Chew. Swallow. Don’t look at her. A long silence stretches between you two until she decides to start questioning again. You're at her mercy.

“They hurt you, didn’t they?” She asks suddenly, but softly, her voice intoned with sadness. You panic.

“No.”

She looks at you. “Yes they did.”

“No.”

“Steven.” She pleads. “Talk.”

“Yes? I guess?”

“How?”

“My gem.”

“And?”

“I dunno. They shocked me a bunch with the destabilizers.”

“Show me.”

You hold out your arm to Dr. Mahaswaren and decide not to look at the branching scars that now mar your skin. She does. You feel the fury radiating off of her in waves as she examines your arms. It funny because it’s such a stark contrast to how you're reacting. You don’t feel any anger anymore. Just exhaustion. 

Dr. Mahaswaren sighs and releases your arm. You think you see tears in her eyes.

“Your gem?”

You almost protest, but the stern look on her face makes you reconsider. You lift up your shirt and show her your chipped gem. She gasps, bringing her hand up to her mouth to stifle a sob. Yep. Those were definitely tears. Great job, Steven.

“It’s okay, though!” You defend. “I can use my mom’s healing tears from her fountain. I’ll be good as new! I just have to get back to the gems and they can take me there. Don’t cry, I’ll be alrig-”

Dr. Mahaswaren cuts you off with a hug and holds you close. She’s still crying. You melt into her arms and let a few tears of your own escape. She’s warm, solid and safe, what you expect a real mother feels like. It’s nice. You allow yourself to relax as she carries you to the couch. You fall asleep in her arms, feeling safe, for the first time in a long time.

 


	4. Shattered Perception

The Gems have tried to convince you to go to the hospital, but you always refuse. There’s nothing the human doctors could do for you. The damage is done. All you'd get is questions and examinations, and news headlines about the discovery of a ‘Half-Alien Boy,’ but no help. You’ll stick to the healing tears for now.

Connie’s been calling non-stop. You text her empty ‘I’ll call you later’s’ but you can’t bring yourself to ever dial her number. She’s been to the temple a few times but you’ve managed to hide from her. You don’t want her to see you like this. You don’t want anyone to see you like this.

Today, though, she’s managed to sneak up on you. You were walking back home from the barn, when suddenly, she spots you across the beach and calls your name. You run, panic bubbling in your throat and escape strategies running through your mind. You manage to ditch her by hiding in a nook underneath the house. She finds you huddled up by a support beam with your knees drawn up to your chest. She inches closer, moving slowly, like she’s rescuing a hurt animal. You're almost offended. Why won’t she leave you alone?

“Steven?”

“Go away,” You mumble. She sits beside you, replying with the answer you knew she was going to say.

“No.”

She’s always been stubborn like this. She’s always liked puzzles, too, and you figure once she’s done figuring you out, she won’t want to talk to you anymore.

You bring your knees up to your chest and bury your face in them. You can’t let her see you cry. You promised yourself not to make her sad ever again since Stevonnie’s impromptu meltdown at the sky arena a few months ago.

“ _Steven_ ,” she pleads, her tone reminding you of when she scolded you for reading her favorite book series out of order. “Please talk to me. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“What do you want to talk about?” You say, voice scratchy and laced with unshed tears. You hope she realizes that you're not in the mood to relay your space adventures right now. She looks at you sadly and grabs your hand.

“Anything. I miss you.” You peek at her from behind your knees. She's waiting for an answer. 

“Um,” You try to bring up a safe topic, “Is the new Dogcopter prequel out yet?” 

Connie tilts her head and gives you a strange expression. Her mouth is twisted in a grimace, and her eyes water. Her eyebrows are furrowed. You're not sure if she’s relieved or angry for the non-sequitur, so you quickly avert your eyes back to staring at the smooth pattern of your khakis. Connie sighs. You wish you knew what she wants.

“No. They pushed back the release date a few months. Something about a lawsuit. It was apparently too similar to another movie. I don’t know all of the details, though.” She runs her fingers through her hair, stealing glances at you to gauge your reaction. Is she nervous, you wonder? You wouldn’t blame her. You'd be nervous around a murderer, too.

 

Wait.

 

She doesn’t know. Does she? There’s no way she could know about that, you reason. You haven’t told anyone yet. There’s now feasible way she could know about how you pulled out your morning star and shattered an amethyst and jasper right in front of their friends. There’s no way she could know how pathetic you looked, begging for it to stop. Intentional murderer or not, you know you don’t deserve sympathy. You still killed gems. You were too weak to stop Holly Blue. If you really cared, you would have found a way. You wonder if Connie would leave you alone if she knew what a horrible person you were.

“Connie,” you start, picking at the skin around your nails and glancing up nervously. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Okay?”

Connie tilts her head but nods enthusiastically, desperate to get any information out of you. You hope she’ll realize you're no good for her. 

“I murdered someone,” you whisper. The words get stuck in your throat, but you manage to choke them out intelligibly enough to elicit a reaction from your friend.

“You didn’t.” She’s freely crying now, tears slowly dripping down her soft cheeks. You feel awful. Maybe you should’ve just kept your mouth shut. You don’t know. You're not good at this.

“Yes, I did.” Connie whips her head around to look at you, an angry look on her face, and you flinch. You hope she doesn’t hurt you.

“No, you didn’t, because I know you would never hurt someone intentionally, much less kill them! Whatever they brainwashed you into thinking, it’s not true. You would never do something like that.”

“Might as well have,” you retort, volume rising as the anger bubbles inside you, “It was done by my fusion, so it’s just as well my fault. I’m the reason why those gems aren't here anymore.” Connie pauses, and a slow look of realization passes over her face.

“Fusion?” She repeats, “You fused with a Homeworld gem?”

You clam up, memories bombarding your senses with the phantom weight of the weapon in your hand, arching back, ready to strike.

“Steven? Did you fuse with someone on Homeworld?” Connie presses, and you wish she would give you a moment to calm down.

“Yes! Yes! I did! But I didn’t want to! She made me. I tried to get out, but she wouldn't let me leave!”

“Steven…”

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so, so, sorry.” Your voice cracks, and with it, so does your composure. “I don’t blame you if you don’t want to be friends anymore,” you sniff, and thin arms envelope you in a hug.

“Don’t be stupid,” she whispers, her breath hitching on the last word. “We’re Jam Buds. You can’t get rid of me.”

You manage a watery smile and melt into her arms. You listen to her heartbeat, using the steady rhythm to focus on keeping the tears at bay. You stay there for a while until Connie breaks you out of your trance.

“And Steven?”

“Hm?” 

“It wasn’t your fault.”

You close your eyes and snuggle closer to her. You don’t believe her, but the weight of her words nevertheless lift a heavy load off of your shoulders. She doesn’t blame you. She still wants to be friends. You smile. In a moment of rare confidence, you kiss her on the cheek. She grins and hugs you closer, her heartbeat now racing, and you decide that you’re going to be okay. You have to be okay. For her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially discontinuing this story. I really had no plan when I went into this, as it was just supposed to be a oneshot. I don't like where I was going with this and I hated the last two chapters I posted. I've deleted them, but I left the first four. Anyone who wants to continue this, feel free! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gave me kudos, bookmarks, and reviews. You guys were awesome. I'm so sorry to all who liked this story and wanted to see it continue. :(


End file.
